Treasury Secretary Praises Bitcoin’s Resilience in Policy Shift

For years, the prevailing narrative in Washington positioned Bitcoin and the broader crypto market as a regulatory headache—a threat to financial stability or, at best, a speculative casino for retail investors and anarchists. The era of ‘Operation Chokepoint 2.0’ saw banks quietly cut ties with exchanges and startups struggle for basic compliance services, creating a clear message from the top: digital assets weren’t welcome at America’s money table. This context makes Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s recent public statement all the more remarkable.

Bessent’s post specifically highlighted Bitcoin’s 17-year uninterrupted operation, stating ‘the Bitcoin network is still operational and more resilient than ever. Bitcoin never shuts down. @SenateDems could learn something from that.’ This represents a complete reversal from previous policies that systematically marginalized crypto businesses. By framing Bitcoin as a system the government should learn from rather than suppress, Bessent has rewritten the official script, moving the conversation from wild price swings and ransomware headlines to operational reliability and infrastructure value.

The timing and targeting of Bessent’s comments were particularly significant. By tagging Senate Democrats, he directly addressed the legislative gridlock over crypto policy and contrasted Bitcoin’s constant operation with government shutdowns that have lasted entire months. This subtle admission that Bitcoin represents something the U.S. can learn from, rather than just regulate into submission, marks a fundamental shift in how policymakers view the cryptocurrency.

Industry leaders immediately recognized the importance of this development. Hunter Horsley, CEO of Bitwise, commented: ‘You’re bearish? Please see below. 2025, Bitcoin is going mainstream.’ Bitcoin advocate and investor Mark Moss responded: ‘This is how the US leads the way! Let’s go!’ Their reactions underscore how Bessent’s statement represents more than just a bull signal—it’s an invitation for Bitcoin to join the infrastructure conversation after years of being treated as a threat to be monitored, curtailed, or taxed into submission.

What makes Bessent’s endorsement particularly striking is the current market environment. Despite Bitcoin’s price hovering around $110,000, the mood in crypto circles has been decidedly bearish. Analyst Will Clemente captured the prevailing sentiment: ‘The vibes in the crypto groupchats that I’m in are just sad honestly, people completely giving up and pivoting to other asset classes if they haven’t already. Everyone seems jaded, depressed, and defeated.’

Yet beneath this surface pessimism, fundamental changes are occurring. Regulatory roadblocks are falling, market structure is maturing by the week, and blue-chip institutions are quietly accumulating Bitcoin. The market is undergoing a fundamental transformation where retail investors and Bitcoin OGs are giving way to institutional players with substantial mandates. This institutional adoption is changing Bitcoin’s price dynamics, making it less subject to the wild swings that characterized its earlier years, when a Treasury Secretary’s endorsement would have sent prices soaring.

The significance of this policy shift cannot be overstated. For most of Bitcoin’s history, officials treated its very existence as a threat—something to monitor, curtail, or smother. Now, a Treasury official champions its resilience and calls out the system for its transparency and uptime. This represents Bitcoin’s transition from regulatory target to potential model for government systems.

As Washington continues to bicker over policy and narratives whiplash between extremes, one thing has become clear: after years of shadowboxing, the U.S. is finally pulling Bitcoin off the blacklist. The network that has powered on through bear markets, processed transactions across borders, and proven itself block by block despite political storms is now being recognized not as a problem to solve, but as infrastructure to learn from. For policymakers scrambling for answers about reliable systems, perhaps it’s time they truly learned something from the network that ‘never shuts down.’